Submittals vs RFIs in construction, explained

Submittals

The specifications list which submittals each section needs. The usual kinds:

• Shop drawings: drawings made by the contractor, sub or fabricator showing how an item will be built and installed, such as steel connections, rebar placement or storefront framing.
• Product data: manufacturer's sheets marked to show the model, options and finishes being supplied.
• Samples: physical pieces for color, texture or finish selection.
• Other information: test reports, certifications, mix designs, warranties and closeout documents.

The general contractor reviews each sub's submittal first, checks it against the documents and coordinates it with other trades, then forwards it. The architect or engineer reviews it for general conformance with the design intent and returns it with an action. Common wording is along the lines of no exceptions taken, make corrections noted, revise and resubmit, or rejected, but each firm and spec uses its own stamp. Read what the stamp means before fabrication starts.

Two rules hold widely. A reviewed submittal does not change the contract; a deviation the designer did not specifically accept, or a change in cost or time, still needs a change order. And the contractor stays responsible for quantities, dimensions, fabrication methods and coordination, whatever the stamp says.

RFIs

An RFI is a question, numbered and logged, that asks the designer to resolve a conflict, fill a gap or confirm an intent. A good RFI:

• asks one question
• cites the drawing, detail and spec section involved
• proposes a solution when the contractor has one
• states the date an answer is needed to avoid a delay

An RFI answer that adds work, cost or time should lead to a change order, not be absorbed quietly. An RFI is not the place to ask for a substitution of a specified product; most specs have a separate substitution request procedure.

Keep a log of each

Both submittals and RFIs live in logs reviewed at every progress meeting: number, description, date sent, date due back, status and the action taken. The log is the evidence later if a late response delays the job.

A worked lead-time schedule with invented numbers

Aluminum storefront must be installed starting in week 20 of the schedule. The supplier needs 8 weeks to fabricate and deliver after receiving reviewed shop drawings. The spec allows the architect 2 weeks to review each submittal. Plan for one resubmittal, which takes 2 weeks to revise and review again.

• Delivery needed by week 20
• Fabrication and delivery: 8 weeks, so reviewed drawings needed by week 20 - 8 = week 12
• Resubmittal allowance: 2 weeks, so the first review must come back by week 12 - 2 = week 10
• First review: 2 weeks, so the submittal must go to the architect by week 10 - 2 = week 8

Check forward: 8 + 2 + 2 + 8 = 20. If the sub needs 3 weeks to prepare the shop drawings, they must be started by week 5. Put these as activities in the schedule so a late submittal shows up as lost float long before it shows up as a late storefront.

Common mix-ups

• Treating a reviewed submittal as a change. Review checks conformance; it does not change the contract.
• Using an RFI to sneak in a substitution. Use the substitution procedure.
• Absorbing a costly RFI answer. Give notice and ask for a change order within the contract's time limit.
• Forgetting the review period in the schedule. Lead time starts after review, not after submission.

On the NASCLA exam

Submittals and RFIs are field administration, part of General Requirements, 25 of the 115 scored questions. Construction Jobsite Management is the reference whose title owns them, so tab its submittals and RFIs topics.

Practice it

Link lead times into the network with CPM scheduling and float, and price the RFI that adds work with change orders.

Take the free 10-question check

Start the free 10-question check. It is weighted to the twelve NASCLA subject areas, needs no signup and explains every answer, so you see which area to study first.

The NASCLA Commercial course has a lesson for each of the 12 subject areas that shows which listed reference to open and how to apply it, original practice questions with every answer worked, and four timed practice exams of 115 questions on a 330-minute clock. Your scores come back by subject area, so you know where the next study hour goes. See the course.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by NASCLA or PSI. NASCLA and PSI are named only to identify the exam and its test vendor.

Sources

Show the list

• PSI Candidate Information Bulletin 1458, content outline and reference list, updated 7 Jul 2026. Retrieved 5 Nov 2026.
• NASCLA Commercial Exam, NASCLA. Retrieved 5 Nov 2026.